


Dark Forest Cafe

by highwayKing



Series: The Dark Forest Cafe [3]
Category: Strange Magic (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dark Forest Cafe Au, F/M, Gen, and Roland is a jerk, and a villain, bog is a grumpy coffee shop owner, coffee shop AU, dawn is an enthusiastic photographer, griselda plots, marianne learns to love again, no potion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-26 22:27:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highwayKing/pseuds/highwayKing
Summary: There is a small coffee shop down a walkway in the older part of the city where the streets are made of cobblestone and every pavement is lined with old trees. Marianne had never expected anything from a place like this, but she can not help falling for the man on the other side of the counter. And the coffee is great as well.





	Dark Forest Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> And here we are ladies and gentleman, the first chapter of the Dark Forest Cafe Au. Enjoy reading.

It was getting colder and colder each day as they moved further into autumn. Marianne started wearing a knitted scarf around her neck against the cold and sometimes she even buried her face into it when the chill in the air started to be too much.

Marianne loved this time of the year. Days often were between cold and warm, always changing, nights got longer and nature prepared for winter. The leaves on the trees turned golden or brilliant red and after they were done adorning the trees they descended onto the streets covering everything in colour. It was magnificent, everything turned into red and yellow for a short time before it is going to be covered in a thick layer of snow in a winter that often felt too long.

For now her day has ended. She finished with sword practice for the day. It was a strange hobby she had picked up since spring when that faithful day had happened, when her fiance cheated on her and she found out only by chance. Back then it was the thing she needed to keep her mind off of Roland's betrayal and since then she had grown fond of it and went back regularly. 

It was getting dark soon and so she headed home. She was dead tired and had little desire to stick around.

Since that day so many had changed about her. As if she was a completely new person, everyone who know her told her so. For them it was shocking that the cheerful Marianne who had hear head in the clouds turned into this mostly grim... thing that they saw now.

This of course didn't bother her the slightest. Since she started fighting she felt herself grow stronger and braver then before. She was good, better then ever before in fact. Most of the time she felt as if she could take the world in one stride, that nothing could stop her when there was a sword in her hands. And when there wasn't, well, she had learned to throw a mean punch or two in the last couple of months.

However, that was enough toughness for one day. Right now all she wanted was to get home as fast as she could. 

Her moped was waiting right outside. She hoped up and rode home, thankfully unaffected by the traffic in the city. But when she was only a couple of steps away from collapsing onto her bed like a normal person would she was stopped by her sister, Dawn.

"Hi, Marianne! How was your day?" she asked and Marianne looked her sister up and down with a smirk on her face. 

Dawn was in a good mood today. She was dressed for the weather, sweater and scarf, but she looked like she was about to head out. That wasn't anything strange. For years she was off whenever she could find the time to do so ever since she took up photography as a hobby. Only recently did she started to take it way more seriously and spent all her waking time out in the city looking for things to shoot. 

Not just anything, mind you. But boys of all things. Marianne had to suppress a shudder just by thinking about it. 

She knew that this whole boy craze was only a phase in her sister's life, she had it too, even if she would rather not remember it. Dawn would eventually grow out of it and that day couldn't come soon enough. 

The fact that she was dressed ready to go was a testimony of another night out living for her passion. She often went out, and because the streets were safe even this late at night both Marianne and Dagda were fine with letting her go on her own. They knew that she wasn't on her own most of the time. Sunny often tagged along just to hang out. 

Marianne had to remember to treat Sunny for keeping an eye on her sister. Goodness knows she can be a handful sometimes. Like how she is going to be right now.

"Are you doing anything?" Dawn asked with her hands clapped behind her back. An innocent posture that often meant she is up to something. "Because I was thinking. Sunny talked about a place he found some time a ago, a little cafe on the eastern side of the city."

"Let me guess, you want to go. With me."

Dawn clapped her hands. "Yes! Of course, you don't have to come," she quickly added. "Only that, we never go out any more, just us two. It will be fun! You will see! But we can leave if you don't like it."

Even if Marianne was so tired that all she could think about was her comfy bed she couldn't find it in herself to pass up the opportunity to spend some time with her little sister.

"Alright, I'm game," she said and smiled at the happy little jump her sister did. 

In the next minute Marianne was grabbed by the wrist and pulled out the door. 

"Okay, okay," Marianne said pulling herself free. She returned to the hall to turn off the light and to lock the door. She shook her head. "Seriously, Dawn. We can't just run and leave everything as it is."

"Sorry," Dawn said sheepishly. "I'm only excited." 

Marianne rolled her eyes. Knowing her sister she was probably expecting to find some cute boys in the cafe. 

Marianne sat down on he moped waiting for her sister to get on behind her.

"Shouldn't we go with the trolley?" she asked.

"Why?"

"I don't know. You look tired to me. Much to tired to drive."

Marianne shrugged her off. "I'm fine. Get on."

Dawn looked at her sceptically. "Promise to drive slow?" 

"Promise." 

Finally her sister was on behind her. And with both of their helmets on they were off. True to her word Marianne drove slow, at least as slow as she knew Dawn wouldn't complain about. Dawn gave her directions from time to time. Soon they left the busy part of the city reaching the older eastern side. It was way too dark now to fully enjoy the scenery of the historical area. 

The street lights have long turned from the cold white light into far more welcoming yellow as the streets turned into cobble stone.

"Look! We are here!"

An old wooden sign was hanging from a building's side and it read: Dark Forest Cafe.

Marianne find a good parking space and they both got off. Looking around the place was just what Marianne would have imagined Dawn to be interested in. 

Most of the coffee shop's walls were made of glass - tall windows that ran from the top to the bottom in an old brown frame, the door was narrow and made of the same worn wood. The entrance looked small but the inside was actually wider then it first appears. The right side was covered in windows while the rest was a bare brick wall decorated with framed black and white photographs, beside them, in similar old worn frames blackboards were announcing the menu in both white chalk.

Yeah, this was the kind of place that Dawn would like. 

It didn't appeared to be crowded. From what Marianne could see from the window around five or so people were inside and three of them were women. Marianne let out a sigh of relief. At least Dawn wont be all over the men. Maybe they could have a decent time for themselves.

Just as she was ready to enter, Marianne noticed that Dawn wasn't beside her. She groaned. Where could she gone off to in one millisecond? She was here just a moment ago.

"Marianne!"

Marianne almost jumped out of her skin. 

It was Dawn. Luckily she didn't disappeared on her, she only went over the corner and returned with a not so surprising guest: Sunny. 

She should have figured. After all, if she remembered correctly, Dawn said that she heard about this shop from Sunny in the first place. It would make sense that he would be hanging out around here.

"Look who I just ran into. It's Sunny!"

"Hi Marianne. What are you two doing here?" he asked while adjusting his guitar on his back.

"Dawn wanted to go out," Marianne said.

"Ah, got it," Sunny said seemingly understanding the situation. "I wouldn't want to intrude on your sister time, I just get going."

Before he could have leave however he was stopped by Dawn. 

"Wouldn't you want to join us?" she asked.

Sunny looked taken back. "Uh, nah, I don't want to be a third wheel to you guys. Maybe another time."

"You wouldn't be in the way, Sunny. We are friends."

"That's not the point," Sunny shook his head. He was getting nervous by the minute and he seemed to know that he can not hide it from Marianne's sharp eyes. "It's just... I really should go home. I'm very tired."

"Then I can treat you to something before you go," Dawn insisted and was about to pull Sunny after him in the door.

"You really don't have to."

"It's fine."

By this point Marianne was eyeing her sister's short friend with suspicious eyes. Just what was going on here? 

"Sunny?" she started. It was the second time she had spoken since Sunny turned up and the two looked at her in question. Sunny grew even more nervous then before.

"Y-yeah, Marianne...?"

"Why don't you want to go in?" she pointed at the door. As far as she could tell nothing was wrong with the place, yet here was Sunny, staling and fighting to go in. "Have you been kicked out recently or something?" she asked, not because she thought it was true but because she wanted to get something out of the other.

"What? Me?" Sunny asked in a sort of indignation that only he could manage. "You know that I would never get myself kicked out."

"Then why?"

Sunny was no match to Marianne's pressuring, and now that even Dawn was looking at him with a curious glint in her eyes he knew that he was doomed. "It's just, I have never actually gone inside, because," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, then his shoulder's dropped in defeat. "Because the bartender kinda scares me."

There, he admitted, and the laugh he got from Marianne was actually deserved. It was a very stupid thing to be afraid off.

"That's all?" Marianne asked, and Sunny nodded. "I'm sure he can't be that bad. Come on, at least drink something warm before you go."

Having little else objection left Sunny followed the girls inside, his nerves not least calmer.

Stepping in from the cold the warmth of the shop was welcomed. Marianne was right, there weren't many people around. Maybe it was always this calm or it was simply the slow-hour. 

"Let's take a seat first," Dawn immediately steered them to a table in the corner closest to the window but still not far from the bar. Most tables were round, but some that were pushed up against the wall were square. 

Sunny put down his guitar and then followed Marianne and Dawn to the counter.

They stayed far away so that it was apparent they weren't ready to order just yet. 

Marianne looked around at the blackboard above the bar. It was a given that most of the things served were coffee here, being a coffee shop and all, but along with that they also served sodas and alcohol - not as long list as the type of caffeine goods they were presenting, but there just as well - and other things like pastries and small dishes as well breakfast items like eggs and beacon, but sandwiches also that you could get all time of the day.

Now to think about it, she was kind of hungry, so Marianne figured she might as well make the best of it and order a sandwich to keep her going. With the coffee she was a bit lost however. She wasn't the type who would give more thought about it other then put some sugar into your standard short or to drink it black, so most of the things written were lost on her. But she shrugged her shoulder and decided to try a simple cappuccino and be done with it.

The bartender finally came back from the back and took his place. He was dressed like someone who worked at a shop like this: he had a dress shirt on that was patterned with thin black vertical lines, only visible enough to be noticed, he had dark brown, almost greyish pants on that he wore with suspenders. 

However, that wasn't the things Marianne noticed about him. The first thing that she immediately saw was that he was freakishly tall. And that was only enhanced by the fact that he could stand before the already huge counter comfortably. 

From the corner of her eye Marianne saw that Dawn was already reaching for her camera. She nearly forgot that she brought the cursed thing with her. She stopped her sister with a gentle nudge. "This isn't the time," she whispered. "Do you want us to get kicked out?"

"Sorry," Dawn smiled sheepishly. Taking pictures for her was such an ingrained reaction by now that she had to be stopped by outside forces to not do it. She didn't know if taking one single little photo would warrant them being thrown out, but she guessed the bartender didn't look like a reasonable fellow. And, after all, Marianne was better at judging the situation then her so she let it be.

The next thing she noticed was that Sunny was right. The guy was indeed scary, if he would be glaring at her Marianne wouldn't even knew what to say. Thankfully however, he was doing his best to remain as neutral as possible towards them as they gave him their orders.

Marianne quickly told him what she wanted, so did Sunny. She didn't miss how the man glared at Sunny and how the shorter man didn't dear to look him in the eye. 

Before Marianne could have asked anything - and potentially shove her foot into her mouth - Dawn stepped up to order. 

She was so small that she could barely peek over the counter. That didn't stop her however. Marianne wasn't paying attention to her order, she knew her stuff, but she did her her mention vanilla, honey and peppermint in the same sentence that made the bartender's eyes widen just a bit. Still the man nodded and ordered them back to their seats. 

Sitting down, Marianne looked over her shoulder. The bartender was making their drinks while the order for the sandwich was given to the kitchen. 

She didn't know what, but something about the guy rubbed her the wrong way. 

"What's wrong, Marianne?" Dawn asked. "You have been glaring at the bartender for a while now."

"He isn't just the bartender," Sunny shifted in his seat a bit uncomfortable. "He is the owner as well."

Marianne looked back at her sister and her friend. "That doesn't give him the right to act like that around us."

"Act like what? I haven't noticed anything." Dawn said, then gasped. "Did we do something wrong? Or, wait. Did he noticed that I wanted to take a picture? He really could have kicked us out, didn't he?"

Marianne thought about that. Could it be that he was bothered by it? No, he was glaring at them from the start.

Sunny folded his hands on the table. "That's not why. Or maybe it could be, I don't know. But I know that the guy hates me."

Marianne raised and eyebrow at that. "Hates you?"

"Don't say such a thing, Sunny. Why would he hate you?" 

Sunny rubbed the back of his neck. "I might have been singing outside his shop for a time now."

The sisters glanced at each other.

"You were doing what?" Marianne asked.

Sunny blushed. "Well, I, you see, I have been playing on my guitar outside for a couple of weeks now." Sunny admitted.

"Why?"

"For tips," he said, then quickly corrected. "Not because I'm in need or anything. I'm fine as I am, it's just that it feels nice to do it and a little spare cash always comes handy."

"Yeah, but haven't you been in here before?" Dawn asked. "You said that you know the place."

"Oh, I know it," he said. "I just didn't dare to step a foot inside after I started singing. The owner looked like he is ready to tell me off at any minute and I was afraid that I would give him the opportunity to do so if I came face to face with him."

"Couldn't he just tell you to leave anyway? He is the owner after all. He could have gone out and told you to leave."

Sunny shook his head. "He never did that. Just glared at me from the window."

Strange, Marianne thought. But for now she let it be. They came here to have a nice time and she won't let that cockroach ruin that for them. Instead she decided to tell them about her sword practice today, that took their mind off of things and started them down in a pleasant conversation.

Shortly after they sat down a short, portly little woman with a very, very deep voice brought their order and wished them a nice evening. 

Marianne glanced back at the bar. The bartender was nowhere to be seen.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> If you want to talk about this au by chance you can find me at my side tumblr: https://impmagic.tumblr.com/
> 
> Have a nice day! :)


End file.
